Do you enjoy moments of solitude? Though, not the quarantine isolation, I mean meditative moments to yourself and allowing the world to slow down? The thing is, I am only child. And I have always felt aloof, in most instances, from groups of people. Growing up, I always get asked, “don’t you ever feel lonely?” And as I think about it, I don’t think I ever felt lonely being alone (or just doing my own thing). I felt more lonely being around groups of people I am forced to communicate with for the sake of socializing.
Truth be told, and I say this a lot, I think my spirit animal is a house cat. I appreciate the attention and affection from small groups of friends and family, but I’ll always resort to doing my own thing after. Dealing with different energies exhausts me and I always feel the need to recharge.
TOFU KATSU
Katsu, is a popularized cutlet in Japan, coated in panko bread crumbs and deep fried for crispiness. The use of tofu, while it’s nothing new in the plant-based world, makes the best substitute for meat as it serves as a great blank canvas. You, honestly, can flavor tofu with just about anything. For this recipe, I made sure to maximize the flavors by marinating the tofu beforehand. Also, no one wants to feel like they are biting into a slap of tofu in between bread. And, trust me, I know a thing or two about that!
MAKING THE KATSU SLIDERS
Let me start off by saying this, I love burgers! And one of the trends that I do find these days are a fusion between American-style burgers and Asian cuisines. Which, as an Asian, I do appreciate. These are my favorite kind of burgers because it’s something new. I do, indeed, get tired of the usual (vegan) fast food style “beef” burgers. It gets mundane. Plus, food should always be a collaboration between flavors and styles of different cultures and experiences. With that being said, I should also address that we should never claim a recipe to be authentic (or traditional), if it isn’t. Therefore, this isn’t a take on a traditional recipe. This is my creative way of sharing a modern way to use katsu with the hints of Westernized-culture.
Just something fun for weekend-style brunches or dinners. This recipe is also great for small gatherings or intimate evenings with loved ones.
These sliders are crispy, flavorful, and so satisfying – you can probably have more than one!
KEY INGREDIENTS
- Extra firm tofu – as the key ingredient.
- Burger buns, sliders, dinner rolls, or any bread of choice – see notes for making your own vegan bread
- Panko bread crumbs – or Japanese bread crumbs that will give you the maximized crunch for your katsu.
- Marinade ingredients – such as soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, onion and garlic powder
- Batter ingredients – such as all purpose flour, baking powder, and potato starch / corn starch
- Vegan kewpie mayo – making this from scratch with vegan mayonnaise, maple syrup (or agave), and apple cider vinegar
- Tonkatsu sauce – which will compliment the tofu katsu. I would just get the Bull-Dog brand found in most Asian section of the supermarkets.
- Slaw – such as cabbage and carrots
DEEP FRYING
I get it! I’m sure if you’re not a fan of deep frying, you’ll be asking, can you bake / air-fry? Yes. Will it taste as good as frying, it will still be tasty but just slightly grainy and dry. I would bake or air fry the tofu between 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-40 minutes depending on your oven. Now, if you are deep frying as I recommend, and for a full katsu experience, always make sure your oil is hot enough or at the right temperature. You don’t want your oil to be too hot otherwise it will burn your breading. And you don’t want your oil just below temperature which means a longer cooking time, hence the oilier it will be.
The best way to do this, as a home cook, is to grab a skewer or chopstick. Dip it in the hot oil and if it bubbles cohesively, it is ready for frying. If it bubbles aggressively, your oil is too hot. You can also use a thermometer and the ideal temperature is between 350 – 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
PRO-TIPS BEFORE GETTING STARTED
- If you are having a hard time finding vegan bread, you can always my Vegan Pandesal (Filipino bread rolls) recipe. I’ve used the same dough recipe to make the sliders and just removed the bread crumbs coating on a pandesal.
- Save time by prepping in advance. You can marinate the tofu (and even coat them) the night before and freeze to save time. If you plan to make the bread, I recommend prepping that the day beforehand, so it is one less thing to worry about.
- Marinate your tofu longer if you can! Tofu can be bland and if you do not give it time to marinate, it will be bland. Give it at least thirty minutes before frying. If you know you will be short on time, prepare in advance for as early as the night before.
- Size the tofu that fits perfectly with your choice of bread. I can’t give you the exact size of the tofu slices, mine was around 2.5″x 2.5″, but that will depend on your bread of choice. You can always make a regular sized burger with this recipe as well.
Give this recipe a try and if you like what you see, please help me by liking this recipe or adding a comment in the comment box down below. Follow me on Instagram and don’t forget to tag me when you create recipes!
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Vegan Katsu Sliders
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- deep fryer / deep frying pan
- tongs
- cooling / wire racks
- Spatula
- whisks
Ingredients
FOR THE TOFU
- 6 slices extra firm tofu sliced to squares (about ⅓ thick)
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp mirin
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- pinch of salt & pepper
FOR THE SLAW
- 3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup or agave
- ½ cup green cabbage finely shredded
- ⅓ cup carrots thinly sliced
FOR THE BATTER & COAT
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp potato starch or corn starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup cold water
- ½ tsp salt & pepper
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
FOR THE BURGER ASSEMBLY
- 2-3 cups vegetable or canola oil
- 6 pieces small burger buns, dinner rolls, or bread of choice vegan (see notes)
- tonkatsu sauce I use the Bull Dog tonkatsu sauce
- red lettuce (optional for added greens)
- stone ground dijon mustard
- vegan kewpie mayo (see recipe below for instructions)
Instructions
FOR THE TOFU PREPARATION
- Press excess liquids of tofu as much as you can and pat dry. Slice tofu as the same size of your small burger buns, dinner rolls, or bread of choice. I used homemade dinner rolls, so I sliced them to about 2.5"x2.5" squares.
- In a mixing bowl or a flat container for marinade, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, garlic & onion powder, with salt and pepper.
- Place tofu on marinade on a single layer and let it sit for at least thirty minutes to let the flavors soak. Flip on the other side halfway through (after fifteen minutes) to make sure all sides are coated. NOTE: You can soak tofu for more than an hour, you can also allow it to marinade overnight. Just store it in an airtight container and chill in the fridge.
FOR THE SLAW
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together vegan mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup / agave. Reserve at least half of the mayo mixture to spread on the slider buns for later and set aside.
- Add shredded cabbage and sliced carrots. Fold ingredients together and mix. Season with a pinch of salt & pepper. Cover and let it chill in the fridge until ready to use.
FOR THE BATTER & COAT PREPARATION
- You will need two separate mixing bowls for this. First bowl for your panko bread crumbs; this will be your coating. Second bowl, for the batter. For the batter, whisk together ingredients such as flour, starch, baking powder, and cold water. Mix until it resembles a thin pancake batter.
- Preheat your pan to medium with oil.
- Prepare your marinated tofu.
- Remove a slice of tofu from the marinade. Tap off excess liquids. Dip slice into the batter until it is fully drenched. Then remove from batter and roll into the panko bread crumbs until it is fully coated. If you'd like for an extra layer of coating for added crispiness (which I highly recommend), repeat the process by re-dipping your tofu into the batter and re-coat for the last time. Place on a wire rack until you are ready to fry. Repeat the process on each tofu slice.
FRYING THE TOFU
- Once your oil is completely hot (ideally between 350° – 360° frying temperature), fry tofu on each side until they crisp and golden brown. This should take between 2-3 minutes on each side depending on your stove. Be careful and monitor heat of the pan as it can get really hot and burn your tofu katsu. If this happens, lower down the heat and allow the fryer to cool down for a little bit before proceeding with the rest. Place on a wire rack to cool once finished frying. Do not cool on a flat surface with a paper towel as it will immediately get soggy.
FOR THE BURGER ASSEMBLY
- Prepare your slaw, lettuce, and condiments such as the mustard, tonkatsu sauce, & extra mayo mix (kewpie mayo).
- Toast the bread of choice (optional) and slice in half, if it hasn't been pre-cut yet.
- On the bottom half of the slider, spread a thin layer of dijon mustard. Then add the lettuce, slaw, and place the tofu katsu on top of the veggies. Drizzle with a bit of tonkatsu sauce and top with vegan kewpie mayo. Then place the other half of burger bun (bread) on top to finish. Reapeat the process for each slider.
- Enjoy while fresh and serve with fries or potato chips on the side!
Notes
